#0003 Tools & Fools

Which one was made by a craftsman and which one was made by a fool with a tool?

There’s been a lot of talk lately about design tools. Something on my desk helped me focus my feelings on the matter.

While visiting a friend’s blacksmithing shop, he wanted to show off his new toy: a gigantic, industrial grade power hammer. I mean, this thing was huge. He had to reinforce the concrete floor in order to accommodate the thing. He pulled a metal billet from his forge and used long tongs to hold it under the power hammer.

Note: If you’ve never been around a power hammer in operation, imagine an eight foot tall steam engine that can hammer like John Henry with the speed of Muhammed Ali… and it’s LOUD!

I watched him hammer that piece of metal over and over again. Returning it to the forge to keep it hot and soft. He moved quickly and decidedly. Before long, he produced a perfectly round disk with his insignia stamped in it. Then he turned to me and said…

Want to give it try?

It’s a giant noise maker that’s dangerous, of course I said yes.

I followed his example exactly. Hammer, turn, hammer, heat, hammer, turn, hammer, heat, and on and on. After a while I had created… a lumpy, dumb-looking piece of scrap metal.

Same tool. Same steps. Vastly different results.

Design tools are simply that. Tools. In the hands of a craftsman, used judiciously, they can supplement the work. In the hands of a fool? Well, you can see how that turns out.

#0002 Lessons from the Adirondacks: Winter

I live in a giant state park. Well, not like a state park that you’re used to visiting. It’s called the Adirondack Park. It’s huge. I mean, really huge. It’s 6 million acres, which means it’s bigger than Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon and the Great Smokies National Parks combined. We’re essentially the same size as Vermont. It includes both public and private lands, several small towns, two colleges, and around 120,000 year-round residents.

Living here isn’t always easy. Some basic services are far away, jobs are limited, cost of living is high, housing is scarce, winters are long, black flies are insatiable… but if you can make it work, it’s a beautiful life.

Here’s a few of the things I’ve learned from living in the park (winter edition).

Embrace the season

Winters are long and cold. It’s not uncommon to have weeks of sub-zero temperatures. Snow can start falling in October and the last snowfall has sometimes been in May. It can be isolating. Nothing you do will hasten the end of winter, so you might as well enjoy it. I love getting out and snowboarding and XC skiing, either by myself or with family and friends.

Life has seasons as well. Sometimes it’s a winter. But just because you’re in a winter season doesn’t mean there are things to enjoy.

There’s no such thing as bad conditions, just bad attitudes

Is winter snowy? Yes. Will it be snowy today? Maybe. It could also be raining. The snow can be deep and powdery or boiler plate ice. We have a weekly nighttime ski tradition here. Our mantra is that we go regardless of the conditions. That means that’s I’ve done some really sketchy things on XC skis. But we always have fun.

No matter what life is throwing you’re way, give it a wink and a smile.

Don’t underestimate the value of a good pair of gloves

Growing up in Georgia, the idea of paying more than $50 for a pair of gloves sounded insane. But a good pair of warm, waterproof gloves can make or break your day.

Invest in what will make a difference to you. If it’s important, don’t be cheap.

#0001 But first… the second act

In October of 2023 I decided to go out on my own as a full-time designer. Freelancer? Micro-agency? Solo-preneur? I still don’t know what we call ourselves. Sufficed to say, it’s just me and I do design.

It wasn’t a direct route to this place. It’s a windy road full of self doubt and detours.

Like many of the graduates of the class of 1999 (that’s right, Prince wrote that song about us), I went to college with no idea what I wanted to do. I was artsy (my high school art teacher basically invented an art class for me to take my senior year because I had already exhausted the course catalog—and the guidance counselor’s idea of trying a non-art elective sounded dumb, though in hindsight…), so naturally I applied to an art and design school. I was rejected. Ouch. Now most people would just apply to a different school, but not me. I was crushed. Dream over.

Luckily I got into a regular college. My dad was United Methodist pastor, so that was the only other occupation of which I had first hand knowledge. So I graduated with a degree in theology and a wife who was also called into the ministry.

I applied to seminary and didn't get in. Ouch. Now, most people would just apply to a different school, but not me. I was crushed. Dream over.

Luckily, I married up. She got a job as a youth pastor so instead of sulking, I could set off on adventure with her.

If you know anything about churches, they are usually a pretty scary place when it comes to design. This is in 2004, well before the days of Canva. So I started “designing” things for the church. Mostly shirt designs, but I was still having to draw them by hand and letting the t-shirt company do whatever magic happens to art when it goes from paper to a shirt. The pastor at the time gave me a copy of Macromedia Fireworks that the church had bought but then realized that no one knew what they were doing (neither did I, but that’s beside the point). So armed with my first design software and my wife’s old college laptop, I started designing things for the church: new logo for the youth group, event t-shirts, bulletin graphics, slide backgrounds, eventually a logo for the church, etc. Before long I was designing websites and logos for local businesses.

But all this was one the side. I worked as custom framer, substitute teacher, and raft guide. After a move, was hired in advertising sales for a local newspaper. I learned a ton about print design and layout. Sales taught me about persistence. You get told “NO” a lot. Sales also taught me that I’m not cut out for sales. I left that job for a position as a marketing manager at a tourism promotion agency. What does a marketing manager do? I don’t know, but neither did the company. So we figured it out together.

A few weeks in, a last minute ad placement become available, but the boss said there wasn’t budget or time to get a design agency to make one. “I can do that,” I said without knowing that it would lead to me being made into an in-house designer for the next 8 years. I learned so much from that job. When you’re in-house you handle everything. Digital ads? Yes! Print layout? Absolutely! Branding? Oh-yeah-sure-you-betcha! UIUX? I mean I guess so… We got really good and saying, yes and figuring out how to assemble the plane on the runway.

While doing all this work at my full time job, I was still working on the side at Dan Cash Design, until 2023 when I set out on my own. So now I’m a few years into this second act and I finally feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m supposed to do.